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03-11-09, 11:27 AM
I am doing the Carmichael Power Series DVD's from Train Right. It is a 8 week program with 16 workouts. It is suppose to improve your power by 12%. I just did workout #6 and man was it tough. It was tougher than the initial Time Trial to see where my heart rate needs to be when doing the workouts. Each workout is about 1 hour long and is suppose to be done on a trainer during winter. I live in the Washington, south of Seattle and it is still winter here. We had a snow storm the other day and we still have snow on the ground. When I took my son to school this morning, it was 24 degrees. Too cold for my comfort for riding.
Anyway, today's workout was 2 20 minute tempo rides. My heart rate is suppose to be between 88% and 90% of my average heart rate that I got from the time trial. I did not think that it was going to be that hard today. Anyway, each 20 minute ride is broken up with a 4 minute tempo ride at 75 cadence (means a hard gear to spin that slow and get my heart rate up) and then 1 minute standing up. You do this 4 times and then get a 5 minute recovery. Then you do it again. I am pretty heavy so for me to do the 1 minute standing up and being smooth with the pedals, I have to put the bike in the hardest gear I have. That is not really enough so I really have to concentrate to get it smooth. It took me 2 times before I was able to do a smooth pedal stoke standing up. After the first 20 minutes tempo I though I was going to die! It was so hard. One the second 20 minutes tempo ride, I had to get my wife to help cheer me on so I would not quite the workout because I was so tired. I was able to finish the workout and when I tried to get out of my pedals, I almost fell of the bike. I was that tired. If I was not on the trainer and outside, I would have fallen down.
Anyway, I did finish it and it was really hard. I just had to tell someone how hard it was....
I am suppose to go for a real ride on Friday, outside for the first time in several months. I can not wait. I hope it is in the 50's...
Ron
Anyway, today's workout was 2 20 minute tempo rides. My heart rate is suppose to be between 88% and 90% of my average heart rate that I got from the time trial. I did not think that it was going to be that hard today. Anyway, each 20 minute ride is broken up with a 4 minute tempo ride at 75 cadence (means a hard gear to spin that slow and get my heart rate up) and then 1 minute standing up. You do this 4 times and then get a 5 minute recovery. Then you do it again. I am pretty heavy so for me to do the 1 minute standing up and being smooth with the pedals, I have to put the bike in the hardest gear I have. That is not really enough so I really have to concentrate to get it smooth. It took me 2 times before I was able to do a smooth pedal stoke standing up. After the first 20 minutes tempo I though I was going to die! It was so hard. One the second 20 minutes tempo ride, I had to get my wife to help cheer me on so I would not quite the workout because I was so tired. I was able to finish the workout and when I tried to get out of my pedals, I almost fell of the bike. I was that tired. If I was not on the trainer and outside, I would have fallen down.
Anyway, I did finish it and it was really hard. I just had to tell someone how hard it was....
I am suppose to go for a real ride on Friday, outside for the first time in several months. I can not wait. I hope it is in the 50's...
Ron